Yin Yoga
October 10th – 12th 2008
Some Yin style classes on our upcoming retreat
Granville is teaching a challenging yoga retreat. Details at
yogAsana and Meditation Granville Cousins 1
Description of course
This course will include Yin Yoga classes taught by Melissa Prouty.
Yin Yoga is an alternative approach to regular yoga asanas which focuses on stretching the connective tissue of the body by gently relaxing and letting go while holding postures for a longer period of time.
The goal of the course is to introduce you to Yin yoga so that you can practice on your own after the course when you return home.
There will also be an outdoor trip into the Burren on Saturday.
Cost of the course
The cost of the course is €300 and includes accommodation and vegetarian meals.
The food is cooked by Paddi the gourmet vegetarian chef who ran Seventh Heaven the well known restuarant in Galway city.
A single room costs €60 extra.
Additional nights stay at the centre
To avail of a cheaper flight you may like to stay an extra night or two. Cost is €35 per night. No meals included.
Who is the course suitable for
Suitable for beginners to intermediate. Yin yoga utilises staying in yoga postures for some time and is suitable for all levels and ranges of abilities.
What is Yin Yoga ?
The practice of Yin Yoga comes from lineage of Taoist Yoga which combines the insights of thousands of years of acupuncture practice with conventional yoga wisdom. From the Taoist perspective, a dynamic or stronger yoga practice focusing on movement and muscular contraction is a yang practice which strengthens and stretches the muscles. In contrast, Yin Yoga focuses on stretching the connective tissue around the joints in a mindful and gentle manner. Connective tissue is different from muscle tissue and needs to be exercised differently. Connective tissue responds best to slow, steady, and gentle stretching. A yin approach works to promote more flexibility in hips, pelvis, and lower spine which are areas that are often perceived as nonmalleable.
The two main principles that differentiate yin practice from a more yang approach to yoga are holding the poses for several minutes and stretching the connective tissue around the joint. The overlying muscles must be relaxed and free from tension so that one can soften into the pose and allow time for the connective tissue to be stretched. Because Yin Yoga requires that the muscles be relaxed around the connective tissue one aims to stretch, not all yoga poses can be done effective or safely as yin poses. Many yin poses are based on classic yoga asanas. Although the emphasis on releasing the muscles rather than on contracting them means that the shape of the poses or the approach used may be slightly different from that of other schools of yoga. Most yin poses have different names to their more familiar yang cousins in order help practitioners keep the distinctions in mind.
In this course, we will explore the different yin poses in order to encourage and improve our seated practice while gently stimulate the flow of qi or prana through the connective tissue.
Instructor
Melissa Prouty is a yoga teacher originally from the US and living in Ireland for the past year. She is a very dedicated practitioner of many forms of yoga and meditation.
She came to yoga while living in Los Angeles from a strong martial arts (Muay Thai & Tai Chi), gymnastics, and snowboarding background.
Melissa quickly learned to appreciate the softer, gentler & quiet side of yoga. In addition, Melissa also feels that yoga is a perfect cross training practice for various of other traditional sports, dance, and other activities. Melissa feels blessed to have studied yoga amongst some of the best teachers LA has to offer.
Melissa has practiced various different forms of yoga including Ashtanga, Iyengar, Yin, and Kundalini from teachers around the world.
She completed her Comprehensive 200 hour Yoga Alliance accredited Teacher Training with David Muehsam at the Burren Yoga & Meditation center after a few years of teaching yoga abroad while living and traveling in Africa.
Melissa teaches a mix of her own including different techniques from several schools of yoga as she firmly believes that yoga is for all bodies regardless of strength and flexibility – the key is to find the right yoga for the individual.
Melissa encourages students to draw the awareness inwards and work within one’s own abilities.
For Melissa, yoga is not about who can hold a posture the longest or go deeper, but yoga is truly about communing with the DIVINE spirit and energy within oneself.
Timetable for the weekend
Friday
| Time | Activity |
|---|
| 5:30 - 7:00pm | Arrival & Registration |
| 7:00pm | Dinner by Paddi |
| 8:00 - 8:30pm | Karma yoga |
| 9:00 - 10:00 | Breathwork and deep relaxation |
Saturday
| Time | Activity |
|---|
| 8:00 - 8:30am | Meditation |
| 8:30 - 10:15am | Yin yoga class |
| 10:15am | Breakfast |
| 11:00 | Karma yoga |
| 11:15 - 1:45pm | Outdoor trip into the Burren |
| 2:00pm | Lunch |
| 2:30 - 4:30pm | Free time |
| 4:30 - 6:00pm | Asana Yoga class |
| 6:30pm | Dinner |
| 7:30 - 8:00pm | Karma yoga |
| 8:00 - 9:00pm | Free time |
| 9:00 - 9:30pm | Meditation |
Sunday
| Time | Activity |
|---|
| 8:00 - 8:30am | Meditation |
| 8:30 - 9:45am | Yin yoga class |
| 9:45am | Breakfast |
| 10:30 - 12:00am | Karma yoga and free time |
| 12:00 - 1:00pm | Asana yoga class |
| 1:00pm | Lunch |
| 1:30pm | Depart |
Some Yin style classes on our upcoming retreat
Granville is teaching a challenging yoga retreat. Details at
yogAsana and Meditation Granville Cousins 1Tell me more about Yin YogaPrices to attend part of a courseTell me more about meditationWhat to bring with youBooking and DepositsFAQ about coursesWhat is Karma yogaComments Testimonials
